Comparison of FTP client software
The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of FTP clients. Unless otherwise specified in footnotes, comparisons are based on the stable versions without any add-ons, extensions or external programs.
Free and open-source software
Client | Creator | First public release date | Latest stable version | Software license | Copy files over 2 GB limit[1] | Interface |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
cURL | Daniel Stenberg | 1998 | 7.75.0 (3 February 2021[2]) [±] | MIT | Yes | CLI |
Cyberduck | David V. Kocher | 2001 | 7.2.5 January 1, 2020 | GPL | Yes | GUI and CLI |
FAR Manager | Eugene Roshal / FAR Group | 1996 | 3.0 build 5665 (12 September 2020) [±] | BSD | Yes | TUI |
*FileZilla | Community | 2001 (January) | 3.51.0 (20 October 2020) [±][3] | GPL | Yes | GUI |
FireFTP | Mime Čuvalo | 2004 (September) | 2.0.32 (February 1, 2019) [±] | MPL 1.1, Charityware | Yes (since version 2.0.5) | Waterfox, Firefox pre-version 57 addon |
Fugu | University of Michigan Research Systems Unix Group | 2003 | 1.2.0 May 2, 2005 | BSD | ? | GUI |
gFTP | Brian Masney | 1998 | 2.0.19 November 30, 2008 | GPL | Yes | GTK+ |
lftp | Alexander V. Lukyanov | 1996 (August) | 4.9.2 (August 13, 2020[4]) [±] | GPL | Yes | CLI |
Macfusion | Michael Gorbach | ? | 2.0.4 | BSD | ? | GUI |
NcFTP | NcFTP Software Inc. | 1991 | 3.2.6 November 27, 2016 | Clarified Artistic License | Yes | CLI |
net2ftp | David C. Gartner | 2003 (January) | 0.98 March 1, 2013 | GPL | ? | Web application |
Rclone | Nick Craig-Wood | 2014 (July) | 1.54 February 2, 2021 | MIT | Yes | CLI |
tnftp | Luke Mewburn | 1999 | 20151004 October 4, 2015 | BSD | Yes | CLI |
WinSCP | Martin Přikryl | 2000 | 5.17.10[5] (January 26, 2021) [±] | GPL | Yes | GUI and CLI |
- FileZilla downloads now contain adware/malware[6].
Proprietary freeware
Client | Creator | First public release date | Latest stable version | Software license | Copy files over 2 GB[1] | Interface |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CrossFTP | CrossFTP Software | 2006 | 1.99.2 | Proprietary | Yes | GUI |
Classic FTP | NCH Software | 2007 | 2.52 | Proprietary | Yes | GUI |
Fling FTP (free version contains adware) | NCH Software | 2007 | 1.0.7 | Proprietary | Yes | Windows Explorer shell extension |
LeechFTP | Jan Debis | 1998 | 1.3 (Discontinued) | Proprietary | No | GUI |
pbFtpClient | Level5Software | 2007 | 6.1 | Proprietary | ? | Windows GUI |
FTP Voyager | Rhino Software, Inc | 1997 (January) | 16.1.0.0 (August 20, 2013 ) | Proprietary | Yes | GUI |
Freeware and commercial editions
Client | Creator | First public release date | Latest stable version | Software license | Copy files over 2 GB[1] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
CoreFTP | CoreFTP.com | 2003 | 2.2 (build 1751) June 27, 2012 | Freeware | Yes |
Fetch | Fetch Softworks | 1989 | 5.7.7 December 2, 2017 | Proprietary | Yes |
Secure FTP | Glub Tech | 1999 | 2.6.2 July 27, 2013 | Apache | Yes |
Sysax FTP Automation | Codeorigin, LLC | 2005 | 5.31 April 12, 2012 | Proprietary | Yes |
Trials of commercial
Client | Creator | First public release date | Latest stable version | Software license | Copy files over 2 GB[1] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AbsoluteTelnet | Celestial Software | 1996 | 9.49 July 2, 2012 | Proprietary | Yes |
Beyond Compare | Scooter Software | 1996 | 4.3.6 October 2, 2020 | Proprietary | Yes |
Commander One | Eltima Software | 2015 | 1.1 September 29, 2015 | Proprietary | Yes |
CrossFTP Pro | CrossFTP Software | 2006 | 1.98.7 May 23, 2020 | Proprietary | Yes |
CuteFTP | Alex Kunadze/Globalscape | 1994 | 9.3.0 (Windows) July 11, 2018 / 3.1.3 (Mac) May 2, 2014 | Proprietary | Yes |
Directory Opus | GPSoftware | 1990 | 11.10 December 19, 2014 | Proprietary | Yes |
FlashFXP | OpenSight Software, LLC | 1999 | 5.4.0.3970 April 1, 2017 | Proprietary | Yes |
FTP Client | Vicomsoft | 1997 | 5.0.1 | Proprietary | Yes |
SmartFTP | SmartSoft Ltd | 1998 | 6.0.2155.0 July 23, 2015 | Proprietary | Yes |
Total Commander | Christian Ghisler | 1993 | 9.51 March 25, 2020 | Proprietary | Yes |
WebDrive | South River Technologies, Inc. | 1998 | 2017 June 16, 2017 | Proprietary | Yes |
WS_FTP | Ipswitch, Inc. | 1996 | 12.7 November 27, 2018 | Proprietary | Yes |
Yummy FTP | Yummy Software | 2004 | 1.9.0 May 10, 2018 | Proprietary, Setapp | ? |
Commercial
Client | Creator | First public release date | Latest stable version | Software license | Copy files over 2 GB[1] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ALFTP | ESTsoft | 2000 | 5.31 February 1, 2012 | Proprietary | ? | |
ExpanDrive (Mac) | ExpanDrive, Inc | 2008 |
|
Proprietary | Yes | |
ExpanDrive (Windows) (formerly SFTPDrive) | ExpanDrive, Inc | 2005 |
|
Proprietary | Yes | |
ForkLift | BinaryNights, LLC | 2007 | 3.4.2 August 26, 2020 | Proprietary | Yes | |
FTP Commander | Internetsoft Corporation | 1997 | 9.21 November 8, 2010 | Proprietary | Yes | |
FTP Explorer | FTPx Corp. | October, 1996 | 1.0.1.53; January 2012 | Proprietary | ? | |
Interarchy | Nolobe Software Pty Ltd | 1993 (as Anarchie) | 10.0.6 August 18, 2014 | Proprietary | Yes | |
Steed | French Fry, SAS | 2012 | 1.2.1.1169 June 27, 2017 | Proprietary | Yes | |
Transmit | Panic, Inc. | 1998 | 5.6.4 April 20, 2020 | Proprietary | Yes | |
WISE-FTP | AceBIT | 1998 | 7.0 (Build 7.0.4) March 16, 2012 | Proprietary | ? | |
edtFTPj | Bruce P. Blackshaw | 2000 | 2.3.0 August 26, 2011 | Proprietary | Yes | Java JAR file |
edtFTPnet | Bruce P. Blackshaw | 2003 | 2.2.1 August 26, 2011 | Proprietary | Yes | Windows DLL |
Operating system support
The operating systems the clients can run on.
Client | Windows | macOS | Linux | BSD | Unix | AmigaOS | ChromeOS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AbsoluteTelnet | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
ALFTP | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Beyond Compare | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Classic FTP | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Codeanywhere (webbased) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Commander One | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
CoreFTP | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
CrossFTP | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
cURL (CL) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
CuteFTP | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Cyberduck | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Directory Opus | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
ExpanDrive | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
FAR Manager | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Fetch | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
FileZilla | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
FireFTP | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
FlashFXP | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Fling FTP | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
ForkLift | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
FTP Client | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
FTP Commander | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
FTP Explorer | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
FTP Voyager | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Fugu | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
gFTP | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Interarchy | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
LeechFTP | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
lftp (CL) | Yes (cygwin) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Macfusion | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Mosaic | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
NcFTP (CL) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
net2ftp (web-based) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
pbFtpClient | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
PSFTP (PuTTY) (CL) | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Rclone | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Secure FTP | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
SmartFTP | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Steed | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Sysax FTP Automation | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Total Commander | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
tnftp (CL) | Yes (cygwin) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Transmit | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
WebDrive | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
WinSCP | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
WISE-FTP | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
WS_FTP | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Yummy FTP | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Client | Windows | Mac OS X | Linux | BSD | Unix | AmigaOS | ChromeOS |
(CL) Command-Line interface only – no GUI (Graphical user interface)
Protocol support
Information about what internet protocols the clients support. External links lead to information about support in future versions of the clients or extensions that provide such functionality.
Client | FTP | FTP over SSH | SFTP | FTPS (FTP over SSL) | FXP (Site2site transfer) | DAV / HTTP(S) | Compression | Mode Z / Remote Compression | API / Commandline available | Resume Download | Passive mode | Parallel Transfer[13] | Segmented Downloads[13] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AbsoluteTelnet | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
ALFTP | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Beyond Compare | Yes | No | Yes (Pro only) | Yes (Pro only) | No | Yes (Pro only) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
Classic FTP | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | ? | ? | ? | Yes | ? | ? |
Codeanywhere | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
Commander One | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | ? | ? |
CoreFTP | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ? | ? | ? | Yes[14] |
CrossFTP | Yes | Yes (Pro only) | Yes (Pro only) | Yes (Pro only) | Yes (Pro only) | Yes (Pro only) | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
cURL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes (Only) | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
CuteFTP | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (HTTP(S)) | Yes | No | ? | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes |
Cyberduck | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes (SFTP only) | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
Directory Opus | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
ExpanDrive (Mac) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? |
ExpanDrive (Windows) | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | No | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
FAR Manager | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | No | ? | ? | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
Fetch | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
FileZilla | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes (basic) | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
FireFTP | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
FlashFXP | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
Fling FTP | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? |
ForkLift | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
FTP Client | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | ? | ? | ? |
FTP Commander | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
FTP Explorer | Yes | No | No | No | ? | ? | No | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
FTP Voyager | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
Fugu | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
gFTP | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (control connection only) | Yes | ? | No | ? | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Interarchy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ? | ? | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
LeechFTP | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
lftp | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (Partial) | No | No | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | Yes |
Macfusion | Yes | ? | Yes | No | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Macfusion | Yes | ? | Yes | No | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
NcFTP | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | ? | No | ? | Yes | ? | Yes | ? | ? |
pbFtpClient | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
PSFTP (PuTTY) | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | ? |
Rclone | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Secure FTP | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? |
SmartFTP | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes |
Steed | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | ? | Yes | ? | ? |
Sysax FTP Automation | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes (script and command line) | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Total Commander | Yes | Yes | Yes (plugin) | Yes | Yes | Yes (plugin) | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
Transmit | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ? | Yes (AppleScript) | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
WebDrive | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (SFTP) | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
Windows 7 (ftp.exe) | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | ? | No | ? | ? |
WinSCP | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes (SFTP only) | Yes (SCP command) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
WISE-FTP | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
WS_FTP | Yes | Yes (Pro only) | Yes (Pro only) | Yes | Yes (Pro only) | Yes | Yes (Pro only) | No | Yes (Pro only) | Yes (Pro only) | Yes | ? | ? |
Yummy FTP | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (AppleScript) | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
Client | FTP | FTP over SSH | SFTP | FTPS (FTP over SSL) | FXP (Site2site transfer) | DAV / HTTP(S) | Compression | Mode Z / Remote Compression | API / Commandline available | Resume Download | Passive mode | Parallel Transfer | Segmented Downloads |
References
- ubuntuforums.org: 2007, 2GB data transfer limitation? Quote: "...The common 2 GB limit is actually a bug in many FTP clients. If he is using Windows, try the latest FileZilla...", kernel.org: FAQ: I can't download a file with size greater than 2GB, is your website broken?, Comparison of file systems#Limits
- "curl – Changes". cURL. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- "Version history". FileZilla. April 20, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- "LFTP - events". August 13, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- "Recent Version History :: WinSCP". Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- FileZilla#Bundled adware issues
- "ExpanDrive Release Notes". Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- "ExpanDrive Release Notes". Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- "ExpanDrive Release Notes". Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- "ExpanDrive Release Notes". Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- "ExpanDrive Release Notes". Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- "ExpanDrive Release Notes". Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- "Multi-threaded and Segmented FTP · Whatbox". whatbox.ca. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
- "Core FTP - SFTP client features". www.coreftp.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
See also
- File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
- List of FTP server software
- Comparison of SSH clients – note that many of these, although not listed here, also have an SFTP capability
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